Mountain, but not folksy — the five-star Hotel Salamandra beneath Giewont

Hotel Salamandra in Kościelisko is one of the most talked-about mountain hotel developments of recent years. Rising opposite Giewont, the building is set to become the highest-altitude five-star hotel in Poland, with a value estimated at around PLN 380 million. The development is led by CORE, and in spring 2026 construction entered a key phase.

'Alpine, not folk-Tatra'

This phrase — repeated throughout the project's descriptions — best captures the architects' intent. Rather than reaching for an obvious folk stylisation, Zakopane-based Kahl-Gaczorek Architektura is designing contemporary alpine luxury: a building described as a 'kingdom of stone, timber and steel'. It is a deliberate departure from Podhale clichés in favour of a material-driven, restrained premium that is meant to hold its own against five-star properties internationally.

A heritage building as the foundation

The project is not being built on a blank site — it is grounded in the revitalisation of a historic, pre-war villa. This is one of the most demanding tasks in architecture: reconciling the protection of existing heritage fabric with the contemporary function of a top-tier hotel. Interiors are handled by Kraków-based Bernatowicz Architektura, which consistently favours modernism over pastel 'folk-Tatra' styling — it is the interior designer who is set to define the building's character here.

Two premium proof points in one region

Salamandra is not the first project to bring the two studios together. Kahl-Gaczorek and Bernatowicz are also behind the award-winning revitalisation of the railway station in Zakopane, honoured with the Station of the Year 2024 title. Two premium projects in one region — a hotel and a railway station — build a credibility that cannot be bought with a single realisation.

For us at Method Press, this is a textbook case of how, in premium — including mountain — projects, a coherent story about place, material and detail wins out. The more clearly the difference between 'alpine' and 'folk-Tatra' is shown, the easier it is to sell to guests for whom the hotel is the product.